I am completing my masters degree in Genetics under the supervision of Prof. Irene Barnes. I am working on Dothistroma pini,a pine pathogen known to cause Dothistroma needle blight which leads to premature needle drops on Pinustrees and in extreme cases tree death. This pathogen has only been recorded in the northern Hemisphere and knowledge regarding its population genetics is lacking.

The first research chapter of my project is to investigate the migration pattern of D. piniinfection of Pinustrees in France, the country with the earliest report of the disease and fungus. The second research chapter of my project involves the investigation of the evolutionary history of D. pini by using a number of genomes from various locations in the northern Hemisphere. This will ultimately reveal the approximate origin of the ancestral population and lineages that are currently present. The third research chapter of my project is to establish the pangenome of D. pini and analyse the adaptation of this species by looking at accessory genes.